title: Evaluation of the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at comparing the disease-free survival (DFS) in high-risk TNM stage II colon cancer patients who had been subjected to adjuvant chemotherapy and TNM low-risk stage II patients who did not receive chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of stage II colon cancer patients between January 2006 and December 2011. High-risk patients were defined those with any colonic obstruction/perforation, mucinous histology, inadequate lymph node sampling, T4 disease, lymphatic/ vascular or perineural invasion, preoperatively elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and high-grade tumor. All patients with high-risk features received adjuvant chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 42 patients in the high-risk treatment group and 21 patients in the non-treatment (observation) group. There were no significant differences in terms of gender, tumor size, tumor localization, or the number of excised lymph nodes between the groups. The median follow- up time was 33.9 months in the treatment group and 29.3 months in the non-treatment group. Recurrence developed in 4 patients (6.3%), 3 of which were in the treatment group. DFS in both groups was statistically similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adjuvant chemotherapy in the high-risk patients resulted in similar DFS as that in the low-risk patients. Although the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer is unclear, it is rational to offer adjuvant chemotherapy to patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Tulay Aktas Oncology Hospital, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cakar
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Varol
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Junushova
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Muslu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gursoy Oner
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gokhan Surmeli
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cirak
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karabulut
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uslu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003082:Colectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome